Chelsea: Willian should wear the No. 10 as he becomes a true No. 10

Chelsea have finalized the main squad numbers for the season. The Chelsea megastore has started selling Jerseys with the player’s numbers on them. And, just as he said he would, Willian will be wearing the No. 10.

This saga started some days back when Willian, in an interview in Brazil, claimed Chelsea offered him the No. 10 shirt and that he accepted this honor. Eden Hazard wore the shirt last season and, with him leaving for Madrid, there was bound to be a clamor to inherit his number.

What made this claim more intriguing was the gaffer’s statement a few days later. Frank Lampard insisted there had been no confirmation on the decision on such things, and the club would decide in due course.

These events, like seemingly everything over the last years, divided Chelsea fans’ online community. Many argue that Willian is a good enough servant of the club, worthy of the No. 10. Others are aghast and opine that it should go either to Callum Hudson-Odoi or Christian Pulisic, as they are much more talented and deserving of the shirt.

Why such hue and cry about a shirt number? one might ask. The No. 10 shirt has always been a matter of pride and greatness. It has traditionally been associated with players who can both score and dictate the offensive flow of the game, i.e. players who impact the outcome of the game.

Some of the illustrious players have worn this shirt: Pele, Diego Maradona, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi. For Chelsea: Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Joe Cole and Mark Hughes are the more prominent names from the recent past.

In the modern game, these numbers do not retain the same value. We have seen Didier Drogba, a primary striker, wearing No. 11 and John Terry, a defender, wearing No. 26. The shirt numbers had nothing to do with the location of the player on the pitch or his function in the team. In many cases, it is superstition and luck that drives the decision of the number.

It is but natural for Willian to aspire for this shirt number. From his point of view, he has been a good player for many seasons at Chelsea. In terms of seniority and experience, he is on top of the heap. He has also turned down an offer to join Barcelona in favor of helping Chelsea achieve their goals. And right from the start, he rejected Tottenham to join Chelsea, instantly achieving cult status among the Chelsea faithful.

However, the squad number is not the No. 10 that Willian should be concerned about. There are other numbers he needs to focus on this season.

When Willian played at Shakthar Donetsk and Anzhi Makhachkala he was a creative player with the potential to create and score goals and wore the No. 10 in both the clubs. His goals and assists at Chelsea have not lived up to the goal creating potential he showed in those earlier clubs, where he caught the Blues’ eye.

Do not get me wrong – there is more to Willian’s game than just goals and assists. He is excellent in counter-attacks, with a very good rate of acceleration. He is a quality free-kick taker as well. His defensive work rate is high. And at Chelsea, he has always played on the right of the front line, which probably was not his most natural position. He was there under the shadow of Eden Hazard. And in the one season where Hazard did not do very well – 2015/16 – Willian was the only player to show some steel, leading to a five goal, six assists Premier League season.

Even though Willian has already secured the No. 10, in many ways this is his season to actually “earn” it.

Chelsea are once again under a first-year manager, one who is much less experienced than their usual hires. And obviously there are no incoming transfers to boost the team this summer or in January.

More importantly, Hazard’s transfer has left a huge void in the Chelsea offense. There is a desperate need to figure out where the 20 odd goals and assists that Hazard annually contributed to will come from. The main “replacement” winger, Christian Pulisic, is still young and learning the trade. And two of the more creative players, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi are out injured and will probably miss the start of the season.

Consequently, a large chunk of these goals and assists are expected from Willian (and, to be fair, from Pedro as well). He will have to step up. He averages an unenviable five goals and four assists a season for Chelsea in the Premier League. These figures should be way above the No. 10 that he craves for Chelsea to even put up a fight for the top six this season.

If he does that, he truly will have impacted the outcome of Chelsea’s season and would have “earned” himself the indisputable and unanimous No. 10 status from the fanbase.